Campaigning against Carla

The best thing Tim Ybarra has going for him is the fact that he is not Carla Vela.

Ybarra and Vela are vying in an April 13 runoff for the Democratic nomination to face Bexar County Clerk Gerry Rickhoff in the November general election.

A number of Democratic elected officials have endorsed Ybarra over Vela, whose tenure as Bexar County Democratic Party Chairwoman ended amid controversy surrounding the disappearance of $200,000 from the party’s bank accounts.

The party all but ignored Ybarra when he challenged Rickhoff in 2006.

Vela said another party official removed the money without her knowledge, but the situation raises questions about her managerial abilities.

Other Democratic officials wisely fear Vela would be a drag on the entire party ticket if she is on the ballot in November.

Now, they have shown that they aren’t all talk. Officials, including County Judge Nelson Wolff, Commissioner Tommy Adkisson, U.S. Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, state Rep. Trey Martinez Fisher and state Sen. Carlos Uresti, have funded a direct-mail piece that slams Vela and touts Ybarra.

The independent expenditure was done through Vote Texas, a general purpose political action committee operated by party activist Tom Daniels.

The mailer was sent to 30,000 households. The mail piece states, “Carla Vela couldn’t manage the Bexar County Democratic Party’s bank account. Now, she wants to be county clerk?”

Vote Texas also is running a phone bank operation to boost Ybarra.

If Ybarra makes it to the November ballot, he most likely will be lonely again.